Whitman-Hanson cheerleaders have that championship feeling

Most of them hadn’t slept all night, but the cheerleaders returning to Whitman-Hanson Regional High School Tuesday morning were anything but lethargic.

On Sunday, the varsity and junior varsity cheerleading squads won first place at the U.S. Spirit National Championships in Orlando, Fla., one of about eight major high school cheerleading competitions in the country.

Robert Weitzman

Most of them hadn’t slept all night, but the cheerleaders returning to Whitman-Hanson Regional High School Tuesday morning were anything but lethargic.
On Sunday, the varsity and junior varsity cheerleading squads won first place at the U.S. Spirit National Championships in Orlando, Fla., one of about eight major high school cheerleading competitions in the country.
So even though they were sleep-deprived, about half the returning team and their coaches gathered in a corner of the school’s library on Tuesday to recall the excitement of their victory.
“It was our best performance yet,” said junior varsity coach Kailyn Getchell, 22, a graduate of Whitman-Hanson.
In the two-day competition over the weekend, the girls battled with five teams in 2-minute routines, sporting red and black uniforms.
“All the stunts hit,” said Marisa Rothwell, 16, a sophomore on the JV squad, describing her team’s solid execution.
Varsity coach Katie Mee, 24, described both the junior varsity and varsity’s cheering style as fast-paced and technical, in contrast to the “Southern” style, which is slower, less technical and more crowd-oriented.
The varsity squad performed to a mix of music by 50 Cent, TLC and Missy Elliot, while the JV squad did their routine to music by Britney Spears, U2 and Lady Gaga.
“We just had fun,” said Jordan Beguerie, 18, one of two seniors on the varsity squad.
“We were looking around to see who was grand champion and they said Whitman-Hanson,” said Beguerie.
For many of the younger squad members, being a varsity cheerleader is their goal.
“They can balance school work and cheering really well,” said freshman Jamie Madden, 14, with a voice almost gone from screaming on roller coasters in the amusement park near the squad’s hotel.
Of the 76 people who flew to Orlando on Thursday, more than half were family members who went to support the squads.
When the squad returned Tuesday morning on a bus from Logan Airport, they were escorted by Abington police down Route 18.
“Now it’s time to go to sleep and take a shower,” said Getchell.

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